Bleach: Cross: 09 Soul of Shirahime
by Eugena
Summary: After Thorne Shirahime Taicho is defeated at the hands of Aizen, she leaves her soul in an unlikely ally. Shirahime has changed Kurotsuchi Mayuri. He recalls this in flashbacks during this story. Rated M for violence and adult content.
1. Repentance

Bleach © Kubo Tite. Bleach: Cross original characters and elements, including the "past life backstory" © Eugena.

_A/N: After Thorne Shirahime Taicho is defeated at the hands of Aizen, she leaves her soul in an unlikely ally._

_Shirahime has changed Kurotsuchi Mayuri. He recalls this in flashbacks during this story._

_Pairings: Gin/Rangiku, Mayuri/Shirahime, Shiroyuki/Shirahime__._

_Rated M for violence and adult content._

Opening Theme: Rewrite by Asian Kung-Fu Generation

Ending Theme: Kyouka Suigetsu (Aizen Character Song)

**Bleach: Cross**

**Soul of Shirahime**

**By Eugena**

Rated M for language and violence.

**Chapter One: Repentance**

**HUECO MUNDO**

Gin Ichimaru returned to his captives. His eyes were wider than their usual slits, all part of his ruse to make the woman comfortable. As she breathed in and out in ragged breaths, he recalled how she looked before the battle. Such a regal woman, Thorne Shirahime Taicho looked the same as she would have long ago during her time in the royal family. Such a pleasure and an honor it was to Gin to fight full-blooded royalty.

He reached out to her, taking her cheek between his fingers. Elevating his reiatsu slightly, he smiled reassuringly to her. "I'm good at some kido." Her breathing evened slightly, a small measure of relief against the intense pain she felt. He leaned in closer, having finally given in to the feelings he had suppressed so long. She could not struggle this time.

"Leave her alone!" rasped the man across from them.

Gin shot a cold glance back at Kurotsuchi Mayuri Taicho, glaring at him in his pathetic state. Mayuri appeared as he did after he regenerated from his ooze form, naked, only his yellow eyes remaining a reminder of his usual visage. All the barriers in the makeshift prison suppressed his spiritual power and left him only a shell of his usual self.

"My, my, Taicho," Gin taunted. "You are in no position to threaten. You haven't even clothed yourself. How, rude in the presence of such royalty."

Gin returned his attention to Shirahime. "Now where were we?"

Shirahime spit at him. He wiped it off in amusement.

"Is that all you have left?" Gin asked. "You are nothing but a pathetic _human_ after all." He turned back to Mayuri. "You should find this quite interesting, Mayuri. After all, you always do love experiments. How many times have you experimented on a human woman? How far did you go?" He paused, watching Mayuri's anger build. "Have you ever been with a woman or are you just too awkward?"

Incoherent rage filled Mayuri's head. A cascade of memories rushed past him. Not long ago, he had met with his former taicho, Kisuke Urahara. "You still don't understand?" Kisuke asked him. "You have Nemu, but you don't know what it means to have a child? You may have created her, but surely _some_ part of you would care if she gets hurt?" Kisuke looked at Yoruichi and the new Fifth Division Taicho talking together in the distance. "Even with Aizen exposed, I can never go back to Soul Society. I can never be there to watch over her." He took off his hat and folded it on his chest, bowing his head slightly. "I have no right to ask anything of you, but please take care of her for me. One day, maybe you will understand."

Strange that Mayri could ever feel something like love. Even his old taicho, whom he still admired, acknowledged that he was a genius at the expense of decency and ethics. He had sacrificed four of his own squad members in his first attempt to capture Uryuu and Orihime—and he thought nothing of it. They were expendable, like everyone in his squad. His squad existed for his research. Nemu could be rebuilt. Yet then, there was Shirahime. All the captains knew she could never be reincarnated again. This had been the last time.

So, she agreed to marry the current Crown Prince of the Royal Family, Shiroyuki. Her human life would always be insignificantly short to that of a soul reaper's and certainly that of one of the royal family.

Shirahime would die and never return.

Mayuri could die, and he would return some day.

Mayuri returned his thoughts to Gin. "My desire to be with a woman has never made me so weak."

Gin merely laughed and his reiatsu forced Mayuri to his knees. "You don't have to watch."

By this time, Shirahime had enough of her spiritual energy to face Gin. It would be better if she could stall him a little longer.

"Touch me, and Aizen will kill you."

"It may be worth it," he said as he came closer. "After all, if he gets tired of you, he may just take Orihime for his mate instead. In that case, he won't mind me."

She struggled to keep her expression neutral, not wishing to betray any weakness. "_Rangiku will._"

He backed off as if her words had literally struck him across the face. His partial kido flickered out of existence, and Shirahime felt the full force of the pain return.

"You still love her. Are you so eager to give up on her?"

"You don't know what love means," he sneered.

"Really? If you love someone, you are willing to die for them." Her thoughts returned to Hinamori and Takeya. _I'm sorry._ "Who are you willing to die for?"

Gin advanced, reaching to his side for his zanpaku-to, Shinzo. "Time to be quiet."

Mayuri thrashed across from them.

Gin unsheathed Shinzo and struck her across her face with its hilt. She laughed weakly. Gin was finally close enough.

The crushing force of his lips against hers surprised her. She had not intended for that happen. Nor had she expected Shinzo thrust through her already broken chest.

Mayuri screamed, finally standing to his feet, but he was still unable to move any closer.

Blood pooled at the sides of her mouth.

"Now, princess, you can be quiet. You don't need to feel any more pain. Orihime can heal you later."

"You are really a fool," she said through struggling gasps of breath. "Orihime's tricks never worked on me."

He stopped, stunned at her words. Of course he knew that, but he had been so angry he hadn't thought of it before.

"Time to repent, Gin." She managed one final smile, and with all of her remaining reiatsu summoned up her bankai: "_Kouten_."

The force knocked Gin unconscious and he flew backwards across the room, crashing into the opposite wall. Mayuri fell to his knees.

After the explosive force cleared, Mayuri rushed to Shirahime's side. Even though Shirahime's zanpaku-tos had been taken from her, just as Mayuri's had, she could still summon the bankai of Yukihime. After all, she was Yukihime. Mayuri cradled Shirahime in his arms, tears forming at last. He had never cried before.

"You show me your weakness after all. You aren't just a mad scientist. And that's your real strength."

"I don't know any kido," he said.

"I know. That's alright, because I'm too weak to leave anyway. But I won't let you go alone." She looked into herself, at the saddened spirit of Shirayukihime. She reached out for her, asking for her power once more.

"_Revive._ Last Revival, Yukihime no Tenjou." She reformed the Yukihime zapakto beside her. Her breathing became more labored.

"Stop," Mayuri begged. "Please stop."

Her eyesight began to fail. "This is what it's like to lose someone."

"Reform Shinnou." Shinnou, identical in appearance to the White Zangetsu, appeared next to Yukihime.

"No more."

She nudged Yukihime closer to him. "One more time." She reached up to his face, barely touching his skin. "So this is what it really feels like. I knew there was a real you behind the mask." Time slowed for Mayuri as he felt her body grow lighter and her hand fall from his face.

"_**Revival of the Dead, Shirayukihime."**_


	2. Descent into Madness

Disclaimers, etc., see chapter one

Opening Theme: Rewrite by Asian Kung-Fu Generation

Ending Theme: Kyouka Suigetsu (Aizen Character Song)

A/N: Warning Dark!Mayuri emerges (worse than his usual)

**Bleach: Cross**

**Soul of Shirahime**

**By Eugena**

**Chapter Two: Descent into Madness**

**THE PAST LIFE MIRAGE – ROYAL PALACE**

Mayuri didn't remember this place. He had never been here before. Though he could not see the place at first, slowly the plush chairs and benches of the Royal Palace faded into view. He looked down the hallway at servants rushing back and forth. He heard Zangetsu's voice off in a distance, though he did not know him: "Please, my prince, you must calm down."

"Calm down?" Mayuri recognized this voice. It was Kail, Ichigo's Hollow and reincarnation of his twin brother.

"You can't know for sure," Zangetsu continued.

"He left her!" he shouted. "He left my princess for that guard!" Kail's shouting became louder and lounder.

"Please, my lady," said Senna beside him, "why won't you lie down?" Senna's gaze held him. "You need rest."

He doubled over in pain, grabbing his chest. He felt like a sword had pierced it.

"My lady!" Senna cried. "Prince Kail, Zangetsu, help us!"

**oOo**

**HUECO MUNDO**

Blood dripped down Mayuri's face and into his mouth. He tasted the salt and iron of it, licking it as a dog would lick its wounds. His hands gripped the Yukihime and Shinnou zanpaku-tos. He felt the heaviness on his left shoulder and looked to see Shirahime's broken body draped over it.

He licked the blood more. Ichimaru looked better dead, tasted better. "Shinnouhi," his droned in a thick voice, "we're going home."

Too bad Ichimaru hadn't felt his death, that he was already unconscious when Mayuri ripped him apart.

"Shirahime," his voice burned in a mix of grief and desire. "All will be forgiven. You'll forgive me for failing you."

**oOo**

**SOUL SOCIETY – SQUAD TWELVE BARRACKS (FLASHBACK)**

Some of the lower seats in his squad had managed to capture the new Fourth Seat of Squad Eleven. He looked amused at the young woman in the shinigami robes behind him. Her snow white hair covered her face, and blood dripped down the sides of her mouth.

"Zaraki's new toy," he said it mostly to himself.

"Damn you," she said in a language he didn't know.

"Do you know that aside from the fukutaicho, there hasn't been a single new woman to join Squad Eleven since Zaraki became taicho? And now, there's you."

"Damn psycho."

"Interesting." He looked aside to Nemu. "Hold her down."

"Hai, Mayuri-sama," Nemu said.

"You do everything he asks?" the captive woman said in a deeper voice, almost masculine. Although her hands were bound tightly behind her back against the chair, she did not struggle.

A faint reiatsu began to surround her. At first, it was white with a tinge of blue. It quickly turned black and red.

"Does he have his way with you?" she taunted in a man's voice.

Nemu reached down to her. She looked up at her, and her eyes glowed yellow. The reiatsu aura exploded and knocked Nemu and Mayuri against the wall.

**oOo**

**HUECO MUNDO**

Mayuri licked the blood off of the arrancar's zanpaku-to. _What an easy kill._ He hadn't bothered to ask for its name.

"He looked at you wrong," he said to Shirahime's body.

**oOo**

**SOUL SOCIETY – SQUAD TWELVE BARRACKS – KUROTSUCHI TAICHO'S QUARTERS (FLASHBACK)**

"It's true?" she asked, the near accusation hanging between them.

Mayuri looked at Shirahime but said nothing.

"You're nothing but a monster," she said. "You let them burn for the sake of your experiment!" She waved her arm in the air as if throwing a knife. "You _sicken_ me."

"_My squad exists for my experiments." What was wrong with him that he couldn't say that to her?_

This was not the first time she had brought up the incident where he first met Ishida and Inoue.

**oOo**

**HUECO MUNDO**

Shirahime seemed heavier to him. He pushed forward, barely conscious of his nakedness and injuries. He thought of Shirahime. He remembered so many moments with her, most of them conflict.

**oOo**

**SOUL SOCIETY – SQUAD TWELVE BARRACKS (FLASHBACK)**

The black and red reiatsu blasted Mayuri and Nemu against the wall. "This will be interesting," he said as he freed himself from the wall.

The shinigami stood to her feet, the Shiro Zangetsu in her hands. She laughed manically. Raising the sword, she sliced it down: "Tensa no Shinnou!" A white fire shot from the sword towards him and he barely had time to get out of its way.

"Impressive," he said again. "And who are you?"

"I am Shirahime's protector."

**oOo**

**HUECO MUNDO**

_Protector._

"I will protect you," he said, knocking down another arrancar. He raised Shinnou and plunged it into the fallen arrancar.

He would need his own zanpaku-to.


End file.
